Property Battle: Anambra Govt Begins Crackdown Over Discrimination Against Female Heirs

The Attorney General of Anambra State, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, has initiated measures to prosecute individuals who deny women and girls the right to inherit property because of their gender.

The Attorney General has directed the Nigerian Police to investigate complaints involving gender-based disinheritance and forward the relevant case files to his office for prosecution.

The directive was contained in a letter personally signed by Nweke and addressed to the police. The letter, made available to journalists on Monday, September 26, 2026, outlined the legal consequences of denying females their inheritance rights.

According to the Attorney General, the practice of preventing women and girls from inheriting property solely because they are female constitutes an offence under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State. He noted that offenders convicted under the provision could face up to four years in prison.

Nweke urged the police to thoroughly investigate all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and submit the case files to the Ministry of Justice for further legal action.

He also disclosed that the Ministry had designated its Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit to prosecute alleged offenders under the relevant law, alongside cases involving domestic violence and sexual offences.

The Attorney General’s move comes against the backdrop of Supreme Court decisions which have declared customs and practices that prevent women from inheriting property unconstitutional and unlawful.

Despite these judicial pronouncements, discriminatory inheritance practices reportedly persist in parts of society, prompting renewed efforts by the state government to enforce existing laws and protect the property rights of women and girls.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the directive signals a stronger legal approach by the Anambra State Government towards addressing gender-based discrimination in property inheritance.